I planted them very close this year and it just made them very hard to pick and they heavily shaded each other.

After the success of Fortex this year I am not sure I will grow them at all next year.

This is actually my first full season growing bush and pole beans. I tend to like bush beans more than pole beans. Since I have a relative yard, yield is not priority. Bush beans ripe as a batch, so it is much easier to pick them together. I can grow several batches. My last batch was planted at late July. The fall beans are very tender now. The time to maturity of bush beans is a big advantages for me. Just me. I still need to experiment more on growing more beans.

The Fortex set pods for me non-stop... they were ready in droves from beginning to end of the season (right about now they are just about done.) Whereas the bush beans just had one drove that wasn't really any bigger than the Fortex first pickings, they did produce continually but no comparison to the pole. Just my experience... they definitely were a lot more work, setting up poles for them to climb and training them up. But they were also so much easier to harvest, picking the bush beans was a real pain with them planted way too close together.

I'll give Fortex a try when I get a chance. I've also received some other pole beans that the pods will not turn old even after they have passed their primes.

As for picking bush beans, I've learn how to pick them. IMOP, it is bad to plant them too close. With 10" or even 12" spacing, the plants grow larger, stronger and much less rust and other diseases. The plants still need sticks to support them since they can grow tall and fall over.

I really love the tenderness of the fall beans.